Professor Maddox collects data showing a correlation between grades and happiness. He concludes that being happy helps students to get better grades. Which of the following illustrates the "directionality problem" in Professor Maddox's conclusion?
A)Students in love may be happier and get better grades.
B)Good grades may produce happiness.
C)Students with poor grades may drop out of school.
D)Female (or male)students may get better grades.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The directionality problem refers to the difficulty in determining the direction of the relationship between two variables. In this case, it is unclear whether happiness causes better grades or better grades cause happiness. Option B suggests that good grades may produce happiness, indicating that it may be the grades that are causing the happiness rather than the other way around. This is an example of the directionality problem. Options A, C, and D do not address the directionality problem.

Professor Maddox Collects Data Showing a Correlation Between Grades and Happiness